Tuesday, 25 November 2014

The economic affairs like other affairs had undergone a
process of evolution which resulted inestimable economic
developments and contributions as reflected in the Arthaśāstra of
Kautilya one of the great economic thinkers of his times. The Mauryan
state itself took part in a number of economic activities keeping a close watch
and control in sectors like, trade, treasury, commerce, agriculture, industries
and labour problems etc. The role played by Kautilya in the process of its
evolution had been very decisive. Nevertheless, Early Indian Economic
thought is a field still practically untilled, and economic thought in any age
only reflects its time and life, it moves with the variation of economic
condition. The economic interpretation of our past economy is one of the first
fruits of the study of early Indian economic thought that study enabled us to
visualized not only the life of our ancestors but it also helped us to
recognized and interpret even the purpose of their every day economic
activities and affairs. Our knowledge of early economic thought acknowledged
the contribution and role of great thinker like Kautilya and obtained for him
his due position among the economists of the ancient world.

This
is an attempt to amalgamate diverse aspects of early Indo-Chinese commercial
linkages and interactions such as the trade routes, the commercial centers and
its items exchanged. Even, this could be established from the various
historical accounts that early Indo-Chinese interface was always two ways
traffic and the elements of exchange may be categorized as material-religious,
through the different trans-continentals commercial routes from second century B.C.
to eighth Century A.D. The Chinese silk was in great demands among the Buddhist
monks, traders and ruling families of early India.

The
widow who was burnt on the funeral pyre of her dead husband is depicted in
Indian Brahmanical traditions and in popular English accounts. Sometime, it was
used as an adjective or a noun and means ‘that which is’ which exists, or that
which is ‘free’, more specific meanings can be derived such as ‘good’,
‘faithful’, ‘virtuous’ honest, or ideal wife who was linked with her husband in
a relationship of unshakeable devotion and subordination. The depictions of
this are found in Brahmanical mythology. The term Sati was not always used for widow burning on the funeral pyre of
her husband as the episodes of ‘Sati Parvati’,
‘Sati Sita Mata and ‘Sati Savatri’ etc. In early Indian
mythology the notion was portrayed in complete accordance with the ideal of Sati, but not a widow.

Friday, 21 February 2014

ASOKA DHARMA: ITS
INTERPRETATIONS AND PARADIGMS AS
GLEANED FROM ROCK EDICTS

Dharma is one of
those Sanskrit terms that defy all attempt at an exact rendering into English
or any other language. This term has passed through several changes. My attempt
here is to briefly define and examine the Asoka ‘Dharma’ through the lances of epigraphic
traditions of Asoka’s times and explain the
paradigms of Dharmaas reflected in the edicts of Asoka
and the changes introduced over the time. The notion of dharma which has been depicted in Asoken epigraphic traditions time
and again in all-comprehensive, confusing and the same time difficult to define
or understand.

Sunday, 26 January 2014

History has been quite a subject of interest amongst people but the perception that youth has of History shows their ignorance of such a vast, wide rational discipline. We grow up in a society where more leverage is often given to life sciences, mechanical and technical streams and other vocational discipline rather than humanities. It is not for the reason that these streams interest them more but this is merely notion in India that one can produce the best intellect if one has ever been the part of a Science School or Engineering College or a Medical Institution. With the passage of time this thought also changed a bit and people got attracted to paramedical and non-medical sciences. Above all with the growing influnces of capitalization and industrialization, commerce got bit more preference. Still Humanity lacked behind. It is general perception in India that one who can not opt for either of Commerce or Science, should opt for ART as there is hardly anything else left for him to do.